


spirit

by earthbendz (adroite)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Katara Dies AU, Northern Water Tribe, Post-The Last Agni Kai (Avatar), Resurrection, Sokka is the best brother of all time, Spirit Oasis, Spirit World (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:15:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27477142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adroite/pseuds/earthbendz
Summary: An alternate universe where Zuko is slightly too late to save Katara during the final Agni Kai, but Sokka will do anything for his little sister.
Relationships: Katara & Sokka (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	spirit

The flight back to the Fire Nation capital was blissful. Aang had defeated Ozai, and despite his broken leg, Sokka felt a rush of victorious adrenaline coursing through his veins as he and his friends clung to Appa’s saddle, soaring through the sky. They hadn’t received news from Zuko and Katara on whether or not they had been able to beat Azula, but they were on their way to help now if they hadn’t. Sokka could hardly believe they hadn’t, though. If anyone was capable of taking down a sadistic fourteen-year-old firebender, it was his baby sister.

His baby sister.

When they landed, he didn’t see her. He saw Zuko sitting in the middle of the courtyard, head in hands, and Azula, hands and feet cuffed, sobbing near the stairs leading up to the palace. So they had defeated her—but where was Katara? Helping out some random person who had been injured, probably. That was just like her. With Suki’s help, he slid off Appa’s back, holding his makeshift crutch to steady himself as they all walked over to meet Zuko. He looked up, and his eyes immediately met Sokka’s.

“I’m sorry,” he said. His voice was hollow. Sokka’s stomach dropped, but his mind hadn’t caught up yet. What did he have to be sorry for? They had defeated Azula. Sokka forced himself to look up, look a few yards past Zuko where a blue figure with dark hair lay motionless on the other side of the courtyard. He looked back at Zuko, whose eyes were red and puffy.

Sokka could feel everyone looking at him, waiting for him to do something, to say something. Suki reached out to touch his arm, but he shied away, dropping his crutch on the ground next to Zuko. He started walking over to meet her, limping on his bad leg.

He heard a few of them call his name, but none of them tried to stop him as he kneeled down next to Katara. Her skin was ashen, and he could tell without checking that she wasn’t breathing. Their mother’s necklace rested lifelessly against her neck. There was a burn on her chest, singe marks on her clothing, and he understood what had happened, remembering Azula’s attack on Aang back in Ba Sing Se. He thought of what had saved Aang then— _who_ had saved him.

Without a word, Sokka slipped his arms beneath Katara and lifted her off the ground. She was heavy—he might have made a joke about it if he knew she’d have been able to get angry about it. “Sokka, what are you doing?” Suki said, her voice raw. He ignored her, half-carrying and half-dragging Katara’s body towards Appa. Seeming to understand, Appa lowered himself as close to the ground as possible so that Sokka could place Katara in his saddle and climb up afterwards. Aang ran over, clutching the side of the saddle, ready to jump on with him.

“Aang, no,” Sokka said. It was the first thing he’d said since they arrived, and he was shocked at how strong and steady his voice was. “I have to do this alone.”

Aang glared at him, but after a few moments, his expression softened. He looked at Katara, and Sokka could feel the pain radiating from him. He didn’t say anything as he let go of the saddle, dropping to the ground silently and backing away from Appa. Before they left, Suki brought Sokka his crutch and kissed his temple wordlessly.

“Yip yip, Appa,” Sokka said quietly, holding himself and his sister steady as Appa took to the sky.

Appa had no clue where they were going, and for a moment Sokka was afraid that he didn’t, either. He knew which direction North was, though, so he simply steered Appa that way and figured they could continue on until they came across something or someone that would help them find where they were headed.

It took days. Sokka hadn’t prepared for this—for sitting in silence alone that long. He didn’t sleep and he didn’t cry, not even when Appa needed to fly low and rest. He only looked ahead patiently, waiting for something to break the horizon.

The people of the Northern Water Tribe recognized Sokka when he arrived—the Avatar’s friend. They’d heard of the end of the war and wanted to celebrate, to thank him, but evidently, none of them had heard that the bright young waterbender who had challenged their most skilled master had been killed. Their faces fell when he pulled her body off of Appa’s back and continued walking unsteadily past them, trying to follow his faint memory of the path to the place he’d only been once. The place where he’d lost someone else.

The walk wasn’t lonely. A group of healers followed him, begging him to stop and let them care for her body, let them heal his leg. He ignored them, but their pleas began eroding away the icy exterior he’d spent the last few days building up. He knew that if he looked one of them in the eye, if he even considered accepting their hospitality, it would break him. So he kept walking until he found it—the Spirit Oasis.

It was hotter than it had been last time they were here. He wiped sweat from his brow as he continued limping, dragging Katara towards the pool at the center of the island. The sun had been setting as he made his way here, and now, it was dark. Clouds sparsely covered the dark sky as the stars and moon began to shimmer, reflecting their brilliant light in the still water. His leg was screaming in pain by the time he made it to the pool’s edge, but he ignored it, carefully pulling her body into the water and submerging her completely.

Her hair spread out and floated around her, inky black in the clear water. She remained still and silent. Sokka held onto her arm, keeping her near the surface as he waited for something to happen.

Nothing happened.

His breathing grew heavy as he turned his face to the sky. He stared directly at the moon, a sliver in the sky. _Please_ , he begged. _Let me help her_.

Nothing happened.

He looked back at the water. The moon’s wavering reflection fell over Katara’s face, illuminating her still lips and turning her face silver. He tightened his grasp on her forearm, ready to pull her out and give up, when he noticed a ripple in the water. He looked for its source, but before he could find it, something gripped his arm, nails digging in. He pulled away, terrified, and Katara came with him, rising out of the water with a gasp of air.

. . .

She was breathing.

Heaving in gulps of air, her hair soaked and clinging to her shoulders, the burn on her chest raw and pink and healing, she looked at Sokka furiously. “Why,” she gasped, “were you holding me underwater?” She held up a hand, ready to hit him or bend water from the pool and soak him, but before she could do anything, he dove forward and wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug. “Sokka?” she said weakly. It took her a few moments to realize that he was sobbing as he hugged her.

Katara wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back, as she looked around and took in her surroundings. She recognized this place—the Spirit Oasis. Why were they here? The last she remembered, she had been watching Zuko’s Agni Kai with Azula, ready to help him if need be. She tried to piece together what could have possibly happened between now and then to land her and Sokka here. How had the Agni Kai ended? All she could recall was a bolt of lightning coming straight for her, Zuko screaming in the background, and a searing pain. She couldn’t reach up to feel her chest while Sokka was clinging onto her, but she somehow knew what she would find if she did.

Amidst Sokka clinging to her shirt and shaking beneath her arms, she felt his hot tears on her shoulder, and she realized she hadn’t seen him cry like this since they were kids. It hit her all at once what must have happened, and she hugged him back even more tightly. “I love you,” she whispered, unable to control the tears welling in her eyes.

Sokka drew in ragged breaths as he pulled away to look at her, still unable to speak. They both sat there for a moment, staring at one another, and out of nowhere, Katara began to laugh. She shouldn’t have been laughing—no, her brother had just been through a period of unbearable pain, and she had most likely just risen from the dead. This wasn’t a laughing matter at all. But both of them were in it now, shaking with laughter and falling back on the soft grass of the Spirit Oasis as the moon shone down over them.

Katara insisted on carrying Sokka back to the village. She wasn’t sure what had happened to his leg, but it looked disgusting, and she was too tired to heal him herself. So she carried him back to where the Northern Water Tribe’s healers were gathered in a large hut. When they saw her, their faces went white, as if they’d seen a spirit. She realized they must have seen her… before. “Just heal my brother’s leg,” she said. “Okay?”

They nodded fervently and sprang into action as Katara set him in the center of the room. While they went to work, she wandered outside, taking in the city’s gorgeous curves of ice as they reflected the moonlight. She realized then that she had no clue what had happened with the war—had Zuko beat Azula? Had Aang defeated Ozai? He must have. Sokka never would have made this trip with a war still raging on. She knew he wasn’t that selfish. A little over an hour later, she went back inside to find Sokka resting with his leg in a splint.

“They couldn’t totally fix it,” he said sheepishly. “Not after I walked on it and everything.”

“You idiot,” Katara said, playfully shoving Sokka’s shoulder as she sat down next to him. He only grinned in response.

“That’s a good look for you, by the way,” he said, pointing to her hair. Puzzled, she pulled her fingers through a few strands, holding it out in front of her. It had only partially dried since they’d returned from the oasis, but already, she could see several strands of silver threaded through the dark brown of her hair.

“Thanks,” she said. They sat in silence for a long moment before she continued. “Do you know… like, what happened? At the oasis, I mean. How did it work?” Somehow, she knew that the circumstances of her healing were far different than Aang’s.

Sokka shook his head. “I have no idea,” he said. “Well, I mean, I have _an_ idea. I keep seeing these things—stuff no one else is seeing. I kept asking the healers why there were things flying around the room, and they thought I was delirious.” They both laughed. “But… I think they’re spirits. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I think I must have given some part of myself over to the Spirit World. To save you.”

“Sokka…” she said softly, flooded with guilt. “I’m—”

“Don’t even think about apologizing,” he said, smiling. “I know you would’ve done the same for me. If not more.” She couldn’t help smiling back slightly. He was right. “We should probably be getting back to the Fire Nation soon,” he said, lifting himself up on his elbows and wincing slightly.

“Lay back down.”

He shook his head, continuing until he was fully sitting up. “It’s been half a week, Katara,” he said Her face dropped. For a moment, she thought that was how long it must have taken to heal her, but she quickly realized that the journey from the Fire Nation capital to the Northern Water Tribe must have taken up most of that time. “Aang’s probably worried sick. I’m surprised he hasn’t come here himself yet. Although, I did kind of steal Appa.”

“Of course you did,” Katara said, rolling her eyes. “You’re right, though… we probably should get back. Is…” She trailed off, unsure what exactly she wanted to ask. She thought of Azula sending that lightning towards her and felt her chest constrict with fear, then burn with anger. “Is Azula still… you know?”

Sokka shook his head. “I didn’t stick around long enough to find out much, but she was detained when I got there. She’s probably in prison or something by now.”

Katara nodded. “Good,” she said. “I hate her.” She took a deep breath. “But… I hope she gets help. Maybe now that the war is coming to an end…” She trailed off again, shrugging.

“You don’t need to forgive her.”

Katara laughed loudly. “Trust me, I’m not. I just mean… Zuko turned out to be sort of good, after all. Well, not good. Just not terrible. And she’s the same age as me. Maybe…” Katara was really struggling with words today. To her defense, she had just come back from the dead. She left it there, somehow knowing that Sokka would understand what she was trying to say. Maybe Azula had some good deep down, and now that Ozai wasn’t Firelord and the Fire Nation wasn’t raging war on the world, maybe that good could come out like Zuko’s had. She would still never forgive her, would never be able to look her in the eye without erupting in anger, but that didn’t mean Azula couldn’t make good all the other terrible things she’d done to assist the Fire Nation.

They stayed for a few more hours to let Sokka’s leg rest and wait for some of the woodworkers to fashion him a sturdy cane. By the time they were climbing onto Appa’s back to leave, the sun was rising over the eastern horizon. The Northern Water Tribe had given them a sack of food to get them through the trip—Sokka hadn’t realized how hungry he’d been until one of the healers had given him a piece of seal jerky, which he’d devoured in seconds. Their sister tribe made sure that they wouldn’t go hungry on the journey back.

As Appa skimmed low over the water, working up the energy to soar higher, Katara peeked over his saddle and looked at her reflection. Her hair was completely dry now, falling loose over her shoulders. Her braid loops were intact but messy, and she had streaks of silver all throughout her hair. It almost looked like she was graying, getting old, but she knew what it likely was. She thought of Yue’s silvery-white hair and ran her fingers through her own hair thoughtfully.

She was thrown back as Appa took off into the sky. “Woah!” she said, falling back against Sokka. “Give a girl a warning, Appa.” The sky bison grunted in acknowledgement as he flew higher. She hoisted herself up and looked out at the sunrise. Sokka followed her gaze and they both took in the sight together. Yellow and pink began to bleed across the sky, the water on the horizon turning a brilliant white as the sun overtook it.

“I love you too, by the way,” Sokka said, still looking at the sunrise. Katara glanced over at him, smiling slightly.

“I know.”


End file.
